When Love and Hate Collide
by ItrustSeverusSnape
Summary: The life of Severus Snape is about to take another complicated twist. Set after the first fall of the Dark Lord, Snape is free of his dark bindings for the time being. One small student will upset the world as he knows it. AU Possible SS/OC pairing
1. Chapter 1

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 1 – I Hate You

"I hate you... you... greasy git!"

This was not the way Severus Snape had planned his day to go at all.

Standing entirely too close to be appropriate the girl screamed into his pale face. " I can assure you the feeling is mutual Miss Thomas, it is childish and disrespectful of you to act this way, most unbecoming, perhaps I expected too much from someone like _you_" Sneering he stood his ground refusing to back down.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME YOU BASTARD" Struggling to contain herself she balled her hands into fists, squeezing them methodically to help ease her frustration. She had said that she hated him not because she meant it, quite the opposite in fact she rather enjoyed his pointed wit, extensive knowledge and even his company on occasion but today had been a step too far and she had totally lost her temper. She had been ready to leave his classroom and let the incident go but something stopped her as she collected her wand and things from the desk. Suddenly she was much more than just angry, right now she was tempted to punch him right in his abnormally large nose, damn the consequences. Instead she took another step closer locking eyes with the potions master praying that somehow he could understand what was happening even though she did not.

The girls anger pleased Snape immensely, "She's such a feisty little thing" he smiled to himself looking away so she wouldn't see his lips curve ever so slightly. It amused him to be able to frustrate her so completely but her close proximity told him things were getting out of hand. He knew he allowed her far too many concessions and he should pull her up for calling him that but he enjoyed her discomfort so much he decided to let it go being was no one else here to notice. Plus she was a Slytherin and it was not his practice to reprimand those from his own house unless absolutely necessary. She was clearly losing her mind over heaven only knows what childish thing and he for one would not stand there and be screamed at in his own classroom. He had actually made her look quite foolish today in front of his whole potions class but it was nothing out of the ordinary. "Enough" his deep baritone booming "That is quite enough Miss Thomas I have no interest in your amateur theatrics now its time for you to leave" Glaring at him she acknowledged his words but refused to move. "Back away now or I will be forced to... "

"To do what _Snape_, hex me, curse me or perhaps you could just kill me you coward!" His eyes became wide angry pools of ebony.

"DO NOT CALL ME COWARD" he all but screamed at her seeming to lose control of his normally tightly wound emotions. Lifting his wand he was stunned to see she had already quickly taken a step back removed her wand and pointed directly at his. He was unprepared for her speed and had not taken the childs warning seriously. "Expelliamus" she yelled as Snapes wand came free of his hand and landed with a thump on the floor near his desk. He stumbled slightly back, banging his hip painfully against the desk.

Hiding any shock or pain he was feeling about being disarmed and bested by a seventh year student he pulled himself to his full height.

"Now you will listen to me _Professor_" She spat the word at him like it was poison. Staring at her he found he was unable to enter her mind, she seemed unaware of his attempts and her mind was heavily guarded. This was surprising; he had assumed she was fairly hopeless with her magic though her quick reflexes were quite impressive given the current situation, certainly he had never seen a glimmer of talent in his classes. Her magic was obviously limited to a few defensive charms, nothing substantial. Placing his curiosity aside he realized his silence was pushing her further into her psychosis, she was clearly not in her right mind.

"Miss Thomas, I can't imagine what your ill though out reasoning has led you to believe. You have just attacked a teacher; your weakness has gotten the better of you. Leave. Now." He pointed at the door glaring at her, the color beginning to rise to his face.

"No Snape I will not, I am tired of being pushed around. I don't care what happens anymore! You, and all of _them_, your all the same. Selfish" she sniffed "horrible disgusting people" her hands were beginning to tremble. Just as rapidly the trembling ceased, she lifted her head with eyes glazed over and smiled.

The look that flickered over the girls face made even his blood run cold.

"FINE, if you won't listen, CRUCIO!"

Suddenly her wand was gone and she was thrown violently across the room. Landing heavily she crumpled into a heap. It all happened so quickly Snape had little time to react; she fell backwards towards the cauldron lined wall. All he could do was watch as the back of her head made contact first with the metal cauldron and then seconds later with the cold stone floor.

Swearing colorfully under his breath and keeping his wand held high he crept closer. "What the hell was she thinking? She could have killed us both" furious thoughts swept through his mind. He had cast a non verbal spell to retrieve his wand the moment he had realized what the girl intended to do. He had not however expected her to go through with it.

What troubled him most was knowing that this behavior was not like Miss Thomas at all. He had watched her grow over the years though he was careful to be sure she would not notice. He found her to be kind, honest and trustworthy though extremely withdrawn at times. Never had he seen the pure hatred in her that she had exhibited this afternoon. Something was very wrong.

Though he would never admit it Snape had a soft spot for the girl, she reminded him much of his younger self. He knew the signs of an unhappy home life all too well; if he could help avoid his own fate becoming hers then he would be satisfied. That however never stopped him from being his mean cold usual self.

"Just my luck to be landed with this stupid girl for the day" He was extremely glad the screaming had ceased, but now he was left to deal with the wounded student and the fact that her injury was mostly his fault. Not to mention that this was his last lesson for the day and he had been looking forward to some time blissfully free of interference. Sealing the classroom with a number of charms he leaned down to examine the girl. Lifting her head he smoothed her hair searching for any major damage it was then he noticed the blood pooling under his hand.

He had though her unconscious but she began to move. Murmuring she opened her eyes "I didn't mean to…I ..." she stammered and passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 2 – Blood

Deep scarlet splatters stain the floor; smudged bloody handprints adorn the walls leading to Snapes private quarters.

He imagined hell would look quite similar, absolute destruction.

Tables overturned, glass jars smashed releasing dead creatures and preserved plant specimens in numbers far too great to count while showering tiny razor sharp fragments over every available surface. Cauldrons burned and mangled, hundred of sheets of shredded parchment were strewn about the room. It was a miracle the stone walls remained intact.

The moment she passed out Snape had leaned down to lift the girl, meaning to carry her to a safer place and attend to her injuries. Instead she began to struggle. Paying her wriggling no mind, assuming she was delirious from blood loss and heaven only knows how many broken bones he went to cross the room but managed no more than three steps.

What came next shocked him so deeply he doubted he would ever forget.

A closed fist hit him square in the face, breaking his nose with a sickening crunch and sending blood gushing forth over himself and the girl. Dropping her legs but keeping an arm around her upper body to keep the girl from over balancing he looked down and realized it had been her that hit him. She twisted in his grasp and in one swift move sunk her teeth deep into his left arm just below the elbow. He screamed, surprised at the sudden and surprisingly intense pain. Dropping his arm she scrambled to the other side of the room where she stooped to retrieve her wand from the floor.

The small Slytherin student had then proceeded to rip the room apart with her bare hands. Snape only wished he could have stopped her sooner; before she got the chance to reduce his desk and all its contents to nothing more than a pile of smoking ashes, in part because he had actually stored a few personal items in the draws but mostly because he had been behind it at the time, using the desk as a barricade. He did not want to hurt her but he was rapidly loosing his patience along with most of his office.

Curses flew screaming around the room narrowly missing him, forcing him into action. "STOP" he bellowed casting a wordless spell petrifying her where she stood, wand raised.

Silence.

Only the girls' breathing was left to make any sound.

The smoke and dust began to settle around them, Snape closed his eyes and stood motionless mentally calming himself and blocking everything from his mind but the task at hand. Drawing a deep breath and releasing it slowly he opened his eyes and focused.

The sound of her labored breathing began to play tricks on him.

He wasn't certain but to him it sounded like words, he moved closer knowing he did not have time to waste – she would be dead if her wounds were not treated thoroughly and soon.

Snape found himself thankful that his deep seeded sense of privacy had preceded Miss Thomas's explosive moment and prior to being relieved of his wand he had placed a number of silencing charms around his classroom and surrounding quarters. He had no doubt more than half the castle would be here to watch the action by now if he had not.

By now Snape had realized, all be it far too late, she had been cursed.

Her small lips moved only a tiny fraction; so miniscule most would have missed it. Snape however saw it clearly, she was whispering.

"Do... it… now…_Please_"

Realizing what the words meant he drew a sharp breath – she was pleading for death.

Removing a small vial from the inner pocket of his robes he quickly removed the stopper, lifted her head and pouring the potion into her mouth. Seconds later she was unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 3 – Aftermath

"Evil little bitch" Snape spat as he poured the correct dose of healing potion over and into the nasty bite on his arm. He knew that her lack of self control had not been her fault but between his broken nose and the savage bite he had suffered quite a lot of pain to repair his injuries – he would never have thought one small girl could do so much damage, especially to him.

A flick of his wand set everything he had used to heal himself and the girl who still lay sleeping in the next room back to its correct place. Mending her cracked skull and bruised ribs had been simple enough, there were possibly some small abrasions there were of no real consequence but nothing could have prepared the man for the damage he discovered had been done to her mind.

He now understood the mental block he had encountered during their argument, the girl had no conscious knowledge of it at all. Her attacker had however underestimated the girls will power and Snape himself was surprised when he realized just how much of the damage the girl had channeled away from herself. "It would explain my office looking like a battlefield" he thought with a groan remembering he had not yet set it straight as the task seemed unimportant at the time . Rather than suffering or purposely causing him pain she had fought the curse right to the end hoping to hold out until it ran its course.

"Well, well, it seems this hopeless little witch isn't so hopeless after all" thinking almost out loud he began considering what he could do to help her condition. How much of her mind was trapped behind the barrier remained to be seen, he hoped for her sake this curse had no hidden traps.

Removing a barrier from the mind of an accomplished wizard was risky even with the wizards considerable help, but to try and do this to a child – it didn't bear thinking about it. No, he would not risk her life to retrieve her memories at least not in the conventional way, better a child who can't remember her parents than a dead one.

He doubted many students, if any at all, could have created something as dark or even half as powerful and intended to find out exactly what in Merlin's name is going on around here "Even if I have to use a few hex's myself" he sneered.

The sedative he had given her would take a few hours to wear off, rather than attempt to fool himself into believing that he could eat or do anything even remotely useful, he had a quick shower in the bathroom alongside his bedroom and changed into clean robes. Feeling at least a little more like himself he grabbed an ancient looking book from his extensive collection, conjured an armchair beside the sleeping girls bed and set about waiting for her to wake.

Waking up in a strange place was nothing new for Katelyn Thomas.

Strange she could cope with, once she woke up in the hedge behind her parents home where she had fled to escape an argument and simply fallen asleep in her hiding place. Unknown places however such as this frightened her rather badly. There was also the fact she couldn't remember how she got here or why every inch of her body ached particularly her head. "Merlins beard, what did I do?" She closed her eyes trying hard not to panic. Had something happened? she couldn't remember, in fact she couldn't recall the previous day at all.

Not daring to move she slowly opened her eyes again, she was in a large bed in a room filled with antique wooden furniture and finished in black, silver and green. A number of doors lead from the room but they were all closed so what lay beyond them she had no idea. The bed was the focus of the room and was likely the most beautiful bed she had ever seen, deep green curtains fell between the four posts, and the quilt of black silk was pure luxury. Egyptian cotton sheets, matching pillow cases embroidered with green and silver snakes. Definitely a mans bed. Katelyn shifted uncomfortably at the thought.

It was as she sat up, turning to view the other side of the room that her eyes fell upon a mans sleeping form propped at a rather awkward angle in an armchair beside the bed, a book open across his lap. It was Professor Snape. Katelyn jumped so violently she nearly toppled out of the bed. The small noise was more than enough to wake the dozing professor who sat up very quickly as to give the impression he had been doing nothing of the sort. "Miss Thomas, at last you are awake." He said firmly closing the book with a snap and placing it on the side table. "Yes sir… sir why am I here" 'wherever here is' she thought but did not say. Giving the girl a hard look he chose he words carefully "You were gravely injured during an incident after your potions class; here was the closest and safest option given the extent of your injuries." She nodded and turned her eyes down to stare at the quilt. "I shall return in a few moments, please remain in bed for now" Snape turned on his heel and swept from the room not giving the girl time to voice her protest. "I have to get out of here" her mind raced reasoning that she would be better resting in her own bed or sitting by the fire in the common room, anywhere but here. Whatever had happened to her must be really bad or Snape wouldn't be keeping her here. Did she do something illegal? She knew the professor would be extremely mad with her but right now she didn't care and she wouldn't stay here to find out. Her mind made up she turned down the bed clothes swinging her legs over the edge and onto the floor. Carefully standing she tested the weight on each foot to be sure she wouldn't fall flat on her face she took a few steps across the room to a chest of drawers where she stopped to consider which door could possibly be the way out.

"Going somewhere Miss Thomas" Snape leaned casually against the door frame his arms folded across his chest. Katelyn froze, she hadn't heard a single foot fall and was unaware he had been watching her movements; he had only gone to the next room to see if the girl would get out of bed when he was gone. Slowly she turned around to face him "well there goes that idea" she thought, disappointment playing across her face. He looked the girl up and down, barely containing a smile. "Um yes sir... I … thanks for helping me but I had better go now" stammering for the rights words but coming up empty handed. She looked up at him, a small smile crept upon his lips "Surely I must be imagining that" she thought. As though he had heard her the smile was gone just as quickly as it came. "A major head injury is no trivial matter Miss Thomas, you are in no fit state to go anywhere" Katelyn glared at him, that tiny smile again he obviously didn't think she would notice. "I feel fine sir, I don't want to inconvenience you – I promise I will report to the infirmary every day but I really should go now" she backed away towards another door. "My instructions are to keep you here for now, besides you think you can casually waltz down the corridors wearing that" he motioned with his head towards her attire and glanced down at her, Katelyn followed his lead and gasped "It was the best I could do on such short notice, I am not accustomed to guests in my private quarters" her face flushed a deep red, she looked at the oversized t-shirt she was wearing. It was obviously from Snapes own wardrobe of muggle clothes. A grey cotton t-shirt which was hanging almost to her knees. She was horrified "This is yours Professor Snape?" she asked her face turning an even lovelier shade of crimson. Obviously deeply amused by her embarrassment Snape nodded. "I thought it was wise to get you something clean and dry and I very much suspected you would prefer this to a pair of my pajamas." She could only nod, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Come now Miss Thomas, the very fact that you are standing at all is something of a miracle. Get back into bed now, I have many things to attend to." Having no choice but to comply with his wishes, Katelyn tugged self consciously at the shirt and climbed back into the bed. "Oh god, SNAPES bed" her tired mind screamed. "All of your things have been moved into to next room" he pointed to the door Katelyn had been standing in front of moments ago "you will be staying here for a time until you are well enough to leave."

Placing a warming charm on the room Snape crossed the room once more and opened a door which Katelyn saw lead to a bathroom. "I have an appointment to speak with the headmaster, but I will return later to check on you." With that he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 4 – Unpleasant Realities

Charging past the portraits in the dark corridors of the dungeons, Snape realized that he was actually dreading meeting the headmaster tonight. He felt sure the old man would once again ask more of him than he was willing to give and knowing Albus Dumbledore as thoroughly as he did didn't leave a particularly comforting feeling in his stomach. Mercifully it was well past the student's bed time and each of the teachers had long since retired to the comfort of their rooms for some warm supper and to get settled for the night. In a storm of billowing black robes Snape was a formidable sight as he continued through the castle rounding a corner and all too soon finding himself in front of the statue marking the entrance to the headmaster's office. He contemplated waiting for someone else to come along to speak the wretched password but soon realized that hell would freeze over faster, tonight he was just going to have to bite the bullet so to speak and do it himself.

"Bertie Beetles" he felt his face burn with anger and embarrassment, "silly old fool" he muttered under his breath as he stomped up the first few steps and then allowed the moving staircase to carry him to the top. As the headmaster had been expecting him the inner door opened almost before he even stepped towards it. "Ah Severus my boy, prompt as always. Come, sit down we have much to discuss" his startling blue eyes twinkling brightly set Snapes nerves on edge just as he had expected.

Given that the headmaster was a somewhat accomplished Legilimens he kept his mind carefully focused not necessarily to hide anything but more out of a sense of respect for the man who had taken him in when everyone including Snape himself had considered him worth nothing at all, just another lost cause. It would not do to tell the man who considered you his son that you think he has bats in his belfry.

'It is as we feared Severus, she has no family at all. Her mother is listed as her next of kin but from the look of her home she has not actually been living there for some time. We think even a long as a few years, how Miss Thomas has managed all this time I do not know but now it is up to us to look after her' Snape could feel a very bad head ache coming on 'We have to appoint a guardian for the girl as soon as possible if we want her to be able to stay here and continue her education and I for one believe it would be best for Miss Thomas to have a professor to guide her through this terrible time' the headmaster sat down in his large chair absent mindedly stroking his long white beard 'Albus if you are thinking you can leave her with me then you have better think again. Not only does the stupid girl get herself cursed, she blows up my classroom and tries to kill me – now you're telling me I have to look after her. Why me for Merlins sake' he said breathing heavily through his nose. The older man just smiled and held his silence knowing the young wizard was far from though 'Albus you know me have you no sense at all' this was pushing his limits but he was far past caring - it was now or never 'I have neither the patience nor the emotional capacity to care for the girl, she would be better off with a pack of rabid wolves than with me' his voice was beginning to break and falter and he knew he had lost his edge. 'Come now Severus, have some faith in yourself just as I have faith in you. This will all work out just perfectly. Now it is high time for me to be getting back to work if you would excuse me for now' Dumbledore smiled gently down his crooked nose. It was clear he considered the matter closed. 'As you wish headmaster, but I would ask you to reconsider your decision I…' The headmaster moved around his desk at a surprising speed for a man his age 'Goodnight Severus I will speak with you in a few days to sort out a suitable story for the girls classmates' the older man held out his arm and directed Snape out of the room.

He left feeling rattled and furious, not for the first time since undertaking his service for the white haired wizard but this felt like it had the potential to break him. Taking a number of short cuts on his way to the dungeons he was back to his door in no time at all.

Standing there in what was left of his decimated classroom he tried desperately to get a grip on himself. 'Stupid old fool' he screamed. Remembering his silencing charms were still in place he felt free to continue with his diatribe 'Of all the insane things that foolish old man has forced me into for him and his damned good causes, this lunacy is by far his worst decision yet' pacing from end to end, glass crushing and grinding under his shoes. Balling up his fists and continuing to pace Snape took a deep breath suddenly finding reality coming back to him 'I'll go find the damn girls parents myself, I am sure they will be perfectly able to take their dear offspring off my hands' This decision calmed his frayed nerves considerably, he had found a way out. As soon as the girl was stabilized he would leave the school grounds in search of her family.

Feeling more in control of his anger he took his wand from inside his robes he began muttering charms to repair his classroom. Glass un-shattered and slimy contents returned to their jars, desks and chairs righted themselves. It took a just a few moments to go around the room and repair the extensive damage, his desk however was beyond resurrection. Gathering its ashes into a small jar he made a mental note to discuss replacing his desk with Albus as soon as possible.

Time was slipping away, he knew he should check on Miss Thomas but found himself unwilling to approach the girl again. She was obviously frightened of him a fact he found strangely comforting. She was mistrustful of his intentions and he doubted that she would want his help even if he managed to talk himself into trying to assist her. Realizing he had no choice in the matter he quit wandering around the room and headed for his chambers.

Entering his sitting room he noticed that dinner had been delivered as requested to his fireplace. Reaching into the green flames he lifted the two trays placing one on top of the other. Praying he could hold his temper, at least in front of the girl, Snape shifted the trays to get a better grip, cleared his mind and headed for his bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 5 – Stepping Stones

Katelyn had lain awake for quite awhile after the professor left the room before finally falling asleep. Knowing Professor Snape could be back at any moment had helped keep her awake but as much as she fought against sleep she had to admit she was exhausted though she couldn't explain why.

The very idea of the man being around frightened her and staying here in his bedroom was making her very uneasy. The potions master was well known for his cruel methods and the rumors about his passion for dark magic where wide spread. His asinine nature was all too apparent in his classroom as was the twisted pleasure he took in humiliating the students, herself included. In his private chambers, alone with the dark wizard, she shivered to think how truly awful he would be now that she was trapped in this little room with no way to escape. She wondered where Snape had put her wand, most likely she would be unable to use it being so weak but it would have made her feel better knowing she would be armed when he returned.

In all the years Katelyn had been a Hogwarts student Professor Snape had never really spoken to her other than to belittle her, in fact she was fairly certain he didn't know she even existed until whatever happened yesterday forced him to. 'He is rude, stubborn and completely cruel' she though but as much as it pained her to admit she admired his sense of style. Always well dressed, his classroom impeccably tidy and from the look of his bedroom his good taste ran to all matters. His desire for perfection earned him her respect. 'Evil he may be but he deserves points for discipline' she thought drifting into a deep sleep, her hair falling across her face.

It was like this Snape found her a few hours later. Moving quietly into the room as not to wake her placed the dinner trays down on the dresser and crept over to the armchair. Sitting gently he looked over at her; she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Her auburn hair flowed like rivers around her shoulders and across her face. Seeing this pretty young woman sleeping in his bed seemed both natural and foreign all at once. She was the only person other than himself to ever have slept there as he had no room in his life for "attachments".

Releasing a deep sigh he took a notebook and quill from his pocket and began to journal the girls injuries, symptoms and anything he thought to be important. In the end he felt it would at least keep his mind on the job at hand rather than let him simmer with the anger he felt at being forced to baby sit.

His head was heavy with guilt, he felt responsible for the girls injuries because they had occurred in his classroom on his watch. He pondered how to repair the damage he had inadvertently caused by not seeing that the girl was in trouble, cursed and unable to help herself. If he had just intruded upon her thoughts straight away like he would have for any other student even mere seconds earlier he could have stopped this. Cringing he recalled having been very unkind to her in their previous lesson 'She would have noticed someone switching her wand if I had only left her alone, damn it' Leaning forward in the chair and resting his elbows on his knees he looked at the floor. Feeling his headache building he pinched the bridge of his nose, grunting at the pain. He had forgotten about the break and that his whole face was still rather tender.

'Mfph… NO….don't…' Katelyn suddenly sat straight up, wide awake startling Snape who immediately jumped up, wand in hand defenses ready for a fight. They eyed each other 'Are you quite alright Miss Thomas' he said lowering his wand, the girl just looked at him with wide eyes. She was obviously terrified but more of him or the nightmare Snape could not tell. 'You are safe here I can assure you, I have brought dinner if you are hungry' he told her in a soft even tone hoping to distract her from her thoughts. She said nothing but kept staring at him, her breathing erratic; as though it was the first time she had ever laid eyes upon him. 'Miss Thomas I am waiting for your answer, I am not room service' snapping back to his usual demeanor.

'I… I'm sorry for a moment there I thought you were someone else…' the wild look began to pass from her face. Snape understood this feeling, it was one he had suffered many times waking from a nightmare perfectly sure his father was there in the room with him. His expression softened a little, he nodded and he took a step towards the dresser collecting the tray marked with the girls name. Turning back towards her he approached slowly and placed the tray on the foot of the large bed. Reaching for his wand he conjured a table suitable for her to eat right without having to move from the bed. 'It's alright if you don't eat everything Miss Thomas, but do try to eat something' Snape stepping in closer to remove the cover from the tray and cast a charm to reheat the food. Katelyn misunderstanding his intention flinched and bumped the table with her knees sending the contents of the table flying every which way, her arms raised to cover her head expecting the blows of fists. She began to cry placing her palms against her face, before long she was sobbing uncontrollably.

Snape was unnerved by her reaction, he wondered what in the world had happened to make this young woman so frightened, he considered asking her but didn't want to cause her any more undue stress, not right now at least. He couldn't bring himself to be sarcastic at this moment, although he did have a number of snarky statements he would dearly have loved to use. 'Its ok, nothing that can't be fixed – Reparo' the charm returning everything to its previous position, he added a quick cleaning charm to tidy the bedclothes. He had no idea what he should do for the girl; he had never been comforted himself, not even by his own mother. He had never let anyone close enough to comfort him since always making sure to find ways to ensure each and every person he knew hated him so he would never have to endure anyone offering him comfort or pity.

The urge to flee the room was almost unbearable.

The easiest way to calm her would be a calming draught but given her condition he was not willing to risk any possible reaction or interactions with the curse possibly twisting its effects in any number of horrifying ways. Forcing his face into some semblance of concern 'I must apologise for startling you Miss Thomas, it was not my intention to frighten you in any way' she simply stared at him while moving away, further she moved the more he tried to speak with her. In the end she got up despite his protests and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her 'Perfect, I'm living with a drama queen – women honestly' he thought nastily to himself but with no real malice.

Giving her some time to calm herself but remaining close to the door Snape waited impatiently. After awhile the sounds of sobbing seemed to ease and finally stop, five more minutes of complete silence saw Snapes patience give way and he knocked on the door 'Miss Thomas, its time for you to get back into bed now' Nothing. Knocking harder he began to panic, had something happened? 'Are you alright in there?' Still nothing. Deciding not to risk waiting any further he gave her one last warning 'Miss Thomas, if you don't open this door I will open it myself' Pointing his wand at the door he counted to ten, no action was coming and he knew it. 'Alohomora' the sound of a lock clicking open, he rushed forward against the door expecting her to yell at him for his intrusion, he sincerely hoped she was fully dressed.

The door swung open, his eye immediately fell upon the slumped figure of Katelyn Thomas. Curled up in the shower with the screen closed, he slid the doors back to gain access hoping he would be able to move her from the confined space without hurting her further.

One look told him all he needed to know. She was dead.


	6. Chapter 6

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 6 – Time, the ultimate traveler

To say he was shocked would be a severe understatement; the girl had been in reasonable health only hours before and yet now this. Kneeling down on the cold hard tiles Snape reached out a hand to check for a pulse, knowing it was hopeless. He pressed his long pale fingers into the skin of her neck, finding nothing. Hanging his head he knew he had failed, he was supposed to protect her but all he managed to do was hasten her demise.

His mind made a methodical list of all the treatments and potions he had given the girl, trying to find where it all went so terribly wrong. Perhaps he had underestimated the curse, maybe it was a reaction to an ingredient he was unaware of. 'I am so sorry Katelyn' he told her lifeless form, brushing her hair back from her eyes he realized just how beautiful she was, not even death could not take that from her. 'Typical Severus, its takes death to show you the true meaning of life' he scolded himself, he felt stupid admitting his affection for the girl even though she was not really there.

It was then he felt it, he had not realized how much of his body was touching hers, he was sure he imagined it but then it happened again – a miniscule twitch in the hand pressed against his thigh. 'How the hell' he wondered aloud just as something clicked over in his brain and suddenly everything made sense.

Not stopping to think about what he was intending to do Snape snatched the girl up into his arms and began to run. Apparition would have been much faster but as Hogwarts had many powerful anti apparition wards it would be no help to him. Racing at full tilt to his private lab and bursting thought the doors he placed the girl on the large bench he used to brew his most complicated potions. Grabbing a dark vial from the back of his extensive collection he lifted her head gently to avoid the risk of her inhaling instead of swallowing unstopped it and poured the potion into Katelyns mouth.

The change was almost immediate. Her breathing began more evident and checking her pulse was rewarding, the girl would make it after all. Finding that he was actually thankful for this was most shocking to him, he had seen so much destruction and death he thought himself incapable of caring anymore. But yet here he was, vowing to himself that he would keep the girl safe, that he would never fail her again.

He knew she may not awaken for quite some time but wanting to make her more comfortable he lifted her gently. Moving slowly he walked back through the hallways to his bedroom. Placing her on the bed, his strong hands taking great care to keep her stable, he pulled up the covers and tucked her in. 'Merlins beard, I'm going soft' he said to himself more to hear the words than because he meant them. He took his seat once more and began adding the new information into his note book.

He knew he was a fool, a complete dunderhead as he called his students. In his panic at the amount of blood she had lost he had given her a healing potion he had designed and brewed for himself during his time as a death eater when his master would punish him so severely he barely had the strength to take it, this potion was what had saved her as she was at the very brink of death. Combined with the last dose of potion he gave the sleeping girl he had inadvertently created a powerful sleeping potion – the draught of living death. Furious with himself for not being more careful, the potion he had designed for himself was very similar to the standard formulation but with a subtle twist he had forgotten.

'Asphodel you idiot' he cursed rubbing a hand over his face, even a first year potions student knew better than to mix this ingredient with the wormwood in the blood replenishing potion. He had been so incensed with rage at being forced into becoming a live in nanny that complacency had crept in.

A second realization hit him – the blood replenishing potion he made did not contain wormwood. 'Someone has been in my lab' rage filling his every thought, who would dare trespass here and how is that even be possible? No one knew the passwords and the keys to his wards, not even the headmaster. Standing quietly he left the room placing a charm to alert him if the girl stirred at all and headed firstly to his sitting room. His quick mental list had led him to the fireplace. The only ones with access to his quarters were the house elves who brought food from the kitchens. They had been specifically banned from cleaning anything within his rooms and were ordered only to set the food down and leave. It was the only possible explanation; someone had tricked or coerced a house elf in someway to come here under the disguise of bringing the meals he had requested. Being that even Snape himself did not know the entire span of their kind of magic there was no sure way to keep them out even from the most heavily warded areas. With that thought he swept quickly out of the room and headed for his lab.

There was no evidence of any tampering, but then he had not expected that there would be. Magic does have its advantages and covering ones tracks is relatively easy. Tapping each vial with his wand he found nothing wrong with any of them, until he came to the blood replenishers.

He was relieved and yet horrified to find that it had not been his mistake at all, every vial of the blood potion was contaminated. At least half of each one had been emptied and replaced with the draught of living death and enchanted to obscure the vials true contents, ensuring a one hundred percent damage rate. Placing the rouge vials in a safe place, he wrote a quick note to Madam Pomfrey letting her know his entire stock was compromised and if he needed would send for hers. He knew she would give it to him no questions asked; she had a supplier for the times he was unavailable and would have a whole new stock in by the next day. He wrote a second note to the headmaster explaining the situation and letting him know there was something seriously amiss among the kitchen staff. He requested as calmly as he could manage that he ask a few quiet questions and try to find a way to keep the creatures out of his quarters.

Snape made another sweep of his lab and private stores which took a little over 25 minutes, every ingredient and potion was meticulously accounted for and tested. The potions master knew every bottle, jar and vial in his lab and had could recall the details of each one purely from memory and perfect organization. Once he was certain that nothing else was tainted in anyway he cleared the mess he had created and left the lab, locking the doors behind him.

Making his way back to his sitting room he sent the notes by floo, hoping that the recipients would action them immediately. His words were precise and to the point, there would be no more slip ups. This job complete for the moment he stood in front of the fireplace, replacing the password and adding every charm he could remember to keep his fireplace closed to everyone but himself leaving an exception for floo calls incase of emergency. 'Merlin knows we seem to have more than our fair share of those here today' taking a calming breath he cleared his mind and attempted to cool his temper. He was struggling not to hunt down every last house elf and hex them into oblivion, he suddenly felt rather trapped and decided to leave the school for awhile before he did something foolish.

Rather than waste this opportunity to get away from school grounds and its baby sitting duties, his next task was to find the girls family and he left to do this right away only stopping to check that she was still sleeping peacefully and to leave a note letting her know how to reach him should she need anything. He doubted she would be awake for at least twenty four hours, by then he would be back to prepare for her departure with her family. Walking beyond the gate of the school he recalled the last known location of Miss Thomas's family from her school records, with this in mind he turned on the spot and apparated away with a small pop.


	7. Chapter 7

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 7 – Best laid plans

His trip had ended rather abruptly; luckily he had accomplished nearly everything he set out to do. He had not however located Miss Thomas's family as it seemed there was no one left to find, every single one of them was dead. Worse still, he found himself in a position he had most strenuously tried to avoid – he was now the sole legal guardian of a student.

Apparating to the run down old house had been simple enough; the headmaster had given him exact directions from the girl's school records which even contained a map. Snape had expected to find a modest home with a green lawn and perhaps a few quaint flowerbeds, the scene he found there was rather more disturbing. The whole yard was overgrown with weeds tall enough to conceal a man easily as tall as himself, every window had been smashed in, there were holes in the roof and the front door stood half open lolling on its rusting hinges like a great dark gaping mouth. This house didn't look fit for human inhabitation, but the girl must have been returning here during the school holidays though he couldn't see how anyone could possible stay here, this place looked like one good gust of wind would finish it off.

Every ounce of hope Snape had held for returning the girl to her parents evaporated at that very moment, he knew instinctively what he would find inside and that he was now officially her permanent guardian. While he felt a certain amount of sympathy for the girls loss he also found he was still very angry about being forced into this position. 'Now I am stuck with the brat, how am I supposed to do this – I'm a spy not a bloody nurse maid' grinding his teeth he stepped towards the twisted gate that would lead him to the front door.

Pushing his way through the gate, he approached the delinquent building quickly wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. As the front door stood ajar he didn't bother to knock or announce himself in any way. Fitting his thin frame easily through the gap he carefully made his way into the hall, wand ready for any unexpected inhabitants and scanning the floor quickly to ensure he wasn't going to fall through a hole or rotten board in the decrepit floor. The smell of mould and decay was overpowering, a person with less resolve would have turned right around and left again at the first whiff of this pungent odor.

Casting a quick spell now that he was inside the house away from prying muggle eyes, to establish if there was any living presence in the building. Nothing as expected. He could see the house had at once time been rather pleasant in its glory days before the wallpaper began to peel, and the carpet to rot. Aside from the damage caused by the elements and neglect everything was in its place as though everyone just decided to leave not bothering to pack their bags or even close the doors.

Asking questions of the few remaining neighbors had proven fruitless; they either didn't know or didn't care enough to even notice the family was gone. Not that the rundown house would have attracted any attention, the whole surrounding area was also in various states of disrepair, no one would have noticed just another abandoned house.

Moving from room to room he found only a few personal items, there were no family photos anywhere to be seen. In fact there were no photos at all. No television, not even a single book or magazine. Onwards past the kitchen where the dishes were piled neatly inside cupboards, the refrigerator long since expired was closed and he didn't much like the idea of opening it 'Merlin only knows what's in there' he grumbled, grimacing at the idea while moving away from the suspect object. He proceeded upstairs, pausing only to glare hatefully at the precarious looking staircase.

There was little see there, just a tiny bedroom a bathroom and the master bedroom which was by far the largest room in the whole house. The smaller bedroom was locked but a simple spell soon remedied that, Snape was quite sure he could feel the pull of some stronger magic coming from the doorway, as if the room had been warded very strongly from the outside many times in the past. 'why would you need to lock a child in this way' he thought wondering what he had agreed to look after, he considered that perhaps she was in the habit of sleepwalking thus the need to keep her in. His idea on this practice changed drastically the minute he opened the door.

It was very dark, forcing Snape to light his wand 'lumos' he whispered not wanting to believe what he was seeing. Taking a small step into the girl's room he was confronted with a room not fit to raise animals in let alone a child. The walls were bare wood, the floor boards rough and dirty with what look suspiciously like blood. Searching the room he found neither a single toy nor any furniture. The only window had been boarded up from the inside long ago by the telltale discoloring of the wood making the room almost completely devoid of light 'what sort of people would make their child live this way' he spat; he knew all too well that sometimes parents were more destructive than loving. A cardboard box in a corner contained a small number of clothes, all of which had seen better days. With a quick swish of his wand he had the girls clothes folded and repacked into the small box ready to send back to his quarters. Nothing was worth keeping but he wanted to remove everything belonging to her before the house collapsed completely, he also thought it might help her in some way to have familiar things to surround herself with. He added the one and only pair of shoes he found in the child's things, looking around the dull little room he could find nothing else of possible value. The bed was nothing more than a pile on the floor, threadbare sheets and a filthy quilt lay just covering the mess of hessian bags which substituted as a mattress.

Turning to leave the room his eye caught the glint of metal. Snape stepped closer the bedding sincerely hoping he would not have to touch anything there, kneeling down he saw the corner of something shiny. Cursing himself for not bringing someone along he could force to do this for him; he lifted the object free of its filthy lodgings. Turning it over in his hand he realized it was a piece of mirror. The sharp edges had been smoothed obviously with magic as they were not the least bit ragged or dangerous as by all rights they should have been. Not a child's toy by any means yet the concealment obviously meant she placed a high value on this seemingly worthless object, thinking about this he wrapped it in a handkerchief he roughly pulled from his robes and placed it in the box with full intentions of asking the girl of its true purpose.

Being there was nothing more to see in this bedroom he moved back through the door to have a quick look in the master bedroom. Despite the dark creeping sensation he had been feeling since he came upstairs he carefully picked his way back down the corridor stopping at the heavy wooden door which seemed rather too sturdy to be just a simple bedroom door. He moved to put his hand on the door handle but stopped suddenly jerking his hand back towards him. The door handle was glowing. A warning he assumed, had he not been so observant he could now be in serious trouble. He had no idea what might happen if someone were to touch the metal but he had no wish to find out.

He had all intentions of leaving right away however curiously made him stop to look quickly through the bathroom.

Water was slowly dripping into the bath helping to create layers of algae and mould where creatures had taken up residence in the damp filth, flies & mosquitoes buzzed around the room disturbed by his movement. It had not been visible from the front of the house but the back wall of the bathroom had been blasted away. What was left of the room beyond the shower was scorched beyond recognition – everything except the door leading through the wall to the girls bedroom and its identical twin in the opposite wall leading to the master bedroom. He found it odd that this door was concealed on the other side, not just concealed but deliberately hidden. What ever had happened here it had taken down the spells hiding the doors on the bathroom side from view. He moved toward the door to the master bedroom, slowing reaching his hand out towards the handle expecting the dangerous glowing. Nothing.

He considered himself rather more intelligent than to risk his life just to open a simple door he pointed his wand toward it throwing a spell to make it open while he remained at a safe distance. It swung inward on silent hinges, frictionless.

It was just as he stepped towards the door that he felt the ring on the chain around his neck heat up, bringing him back to reality. He had been gone from the school for some hours now and had lost track of time. The burning metal stinging his chest was the signal he had been waiting for. Miss Thomas was beginning to wake.

He was still undecided about telling the headmaster of this trip and its revelations; he did not think it wise to let the old man interfere with everything and seeing as it was him who was stuck with this girl then he would manage her affairs as he saw fit. Appearing at the school gates would alert everyone to his absence, instead he would apparate to his home and then use his secured floo to travel directly back to his quarters negating the need for explanations and minimizing the possibility of any further security breaches.

Leaving the room and its secrets for another time he quickly retrieved the cardboard box from the girls bedroom, and in a swish of black robes he was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 8 – An awakening

Katelyn lay awake and staring up at the ceiling, wondering why the sky was a lovely shade of green.

What she was really looking at was the roof of the bed canopy; she had not in fact realized yet that she was in a bed at all. Slowly she lowered her eyes toward her toes and noted that they were covered in what appeared to be black silk. For many long moments Katelyn wondered why she was here, she tried to remember what had happened to her as it was obvious something had happened or she would somewhere familiar not this strange place. Sitting up proved to be a bad idea as she instantly felt woozy and uncomfortable, her eyes glazing over she slid back down onto the pillow.

She also had not noticed the potions master standing watching her from the doorway, he had expected something of a repeat of last time the girl woke in his bedroom but seeing the fog settle across her eyes he knew something was definitely wrong. He moved to the bedside, looking down on her hoping she had not reopened her wounds in any way. 'Miss Thomas at last you are awake' the sense of déjà vuwas rather unnerving. This time however she did not speak, she just stared into him as though he couldn't possibly be real. 'Miss Thomas?' he raised his voice slightly but to no avail she was staring right through him and frankly it was beginning to creep him out the same way his old cat used to when she would stare past him at invisible things making him feel someone was watching him.

Sitting gently on the edge of the bed he waved his hand in front of her face a few times, she blinked but continued to stare. 'Miss Thomas, Miss… damn it… Katelyn!' he stammered, uncomfortable with being forced to use her given name. It seemed to have been effective because he saw that she was now looking _at_ him. 'Do you have any pain' he asked questions mounting rapidly 'No' she said simply 'but where am I and who are you?'

Unfortunately Snape had expected this development; the antidote he had been forced to give her had interacted with the curse. He had hoped to avoid this situation; her conscious mind was now locked firmly behind the barrier confirming his suspicions. Some one with very dark magic indeed had set out to destroy this girls mind bit by bit. Cursing her wand was just a stepping stone; the final blow had been the intruder switching the potions. Perhaps who ever did this was not aiming to kill her but to silence her forever? A simple killing curse would have been quicker and much easier to set up; this curse however was simply designed to block all her memories while being extremely difficult to remove. She would not remember her parents, her childhood or even being a student at Hogwarts. This was not a random cursing at all, but a personal attack. What Snape couldn't understand was how anyone could hate this girl who didn't have a single evil intention in her life?

Snapes mind whirled with possibilities, raising more questions than he had plausible answers for, the main issue now was how did they know the curse had failed to fully work?

Not feeling he could entirely trust himself to speak without anger he chose his words carefully 'There will be plenty of time for questions later, right now all you need to know is that you are safe and I need you to be still and rest'

'I am going to try and remove the curse that was placed on you, this won't hurt but it may be a little disturbing at first' breathing in sharply she glanced at him; she wondered if she could she really trust him to do this. Nodding slowly she sat up and turned the quilt down, placing her small hands on top.

He was quite taken aback, he had expected some sort of resistance as she had always naturally seemed to fight him all the way but this new challenge appears to have made her reasonably placid. 'Now Miss Thomas' she gave him a strange look but he continued on not wanting any interruptions ' I need you to help me do this, I am going to try and break down the curse but I will have to talk you through it – is that clear' Still eyeing him curiously she nodded once again.

'Close your eyes' his dulcet tones doing much to soothe her into compliance 'I am now going to attempt to enter your mind, as I told you this won't hurt. Just relax as best you can' Clearing his mind he gently reached out his mind to hers, he found no resistance and it wasn't long before he came across the firm mental barrier. Seeing only memories of the few hours before he moved further towards the cold hard feeling. He spoke softly as not to startle her 'Think about something that occurred before today, I know it may be frustrating for you but please try' Katelyn could hear him murmuring which sounded much like singing, having him present there in her mind was actually sort of comforting. She did her best to come up with some memory no matter how small but he was right it was very frustrating and she could come up with nothing but a lingering feeling of having forgotten something very important.

Snape was aware of her thoughts as he continued to work intensely; the barrier shimmered, morphed and changed colors but would not break down. Satisfied that he had done as much as was possible with this technique he backed away from the object and left her mind. The girl looked at him but he had nothing to say 'That is all for now Miss Thomas, rest for awhile I will return shortly' He stood up, straightened his robes and crossed the room pausing only to open the door and leave.

She sat looking at the door for a few moments wondering why he had to leave in such a hurry, she didn't want to be all alone in here. Thinking she might be able to follow him she pushed her legs off the bed and attempted to stand up. Realizing this was her second most stupid idea today her knees gave way and she fell gracelessly onto the black rug.

Not feeling quite right Katelyn managed to pull herself up to her knees and eventually back on to the bed. She worried that she was going crazy 'Why don't I remember anything – even this man who is caring for me? Surely I should remember something' her mind relentlessly nagging. Too tired to worry about it any further sleep overcame her quickly.


	9. Chapter 9

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 9 – Confronting the past

The days crept past and Snape found himself barely more than once forgetting Katelyn Thomas inhabited his quarters. After the first few days he had called in one of his personal house elves from his family home, giving him more freedom to move about and attend to classes while researching possible cures for the girls condition without having to look into her eyes full of worry, pain and confusion.

Not trusting her care to anyone else he called Cinzey an old elf who had looked after him as a child in the family manor although she had never been allowed into his parents home at Spinners End. His father had despised anything magical including his wife and only son and had beaten them within an inch of their lives if either one had dared to show any hint of magic even accidentally. This situation had been a difficult one given that his magic was closely tied in with his emotions and could get out control rapidly at such a young age.

Recalling far too many violent incidents where he had watched his father punch, kick or shove his mother against a wall, for reasons the young boy did not understand. She often had cuts and bruises, broken bones and more than a few concussions. Each attack enraged her son to boiling point and his volatile emotions often got the better of him. One particularly terrible incident had left his mother unconscious and bleeding severely. Standing over his mother trying to shield her from further blows his face was twisted with rage. Something snapped within him and he had caused every window in the house to rattle, split and shatter. Thankfully his father had been too drunk to fully realize that his small son had been the source of such destruction, too pissed to see the danger.

'Stupid, weak and pathetic' he spat viciously at the cauldron his face was hanging over. He didn't think much on Tobias Snape these days and would rather forget the man ever existed but something about the girls dilemma stirred up old ghosts. Giving up his work for the day as a waste of resources as he was sure to spoil anything he attempted with so much on his mind he headed back to look in on his ward.

Despite his misgivings about having to look after the helpless girl he made sure to check on her himself at least once a day even though she obviously did not recognize him as the snarky professor who always picked on her. She neither approved nor disapproved of his presence while awake nor did she ever ask for anything or more disturbingly anybody. It was as if the tiny amount of life left in her had been extinguished, she showed no interest in speaking to him or interacting since their last exchange.

He still knew almost nothing of her family other than the ramshackle house as he had found it. Elsie Thomas was listed on her school records as her next of kin; she is an only child with no family contacts beyond her mother. She has no friends to ask any questions of on her behalf. 'Poor child' he whispered seemingly forgetting her attempts to take his life.

Standing facing the bed he watched as she breathed softly oblivious to his presence. Gone was the outer armor of meanness here in this private place, something that never ceased to frighten and amaze him in equal proportions. 'I can only imagine how awful you feel' he said as he approached her sleeping form. She had green silk pajamas on, he had done the only thing he could think of in such a hurry and shrunk a few pairs of his to fit. Strangely they seemed to suit her perfectly; she was a Slytherin after all.

Lying on her side her hands were folded under her cheek reminding him very much of the way a sleeping cat folds it paws under its body. Her hair splayed over her face as he removed her hair tie to check her for injury and cast a cleaning charm on her skin. It was no substitute for a real bath but with her condition as it was it was the best he could do. Brushing back the majority of hair from her eyes he suddenly felt the urge to stay near her for awhile. He would never admit this even under duress but he was starting to feel very protective of Katelyn and it hurt him to know that she was suffering.

Sinking gently onto the edge of the large bed he wondered where her mind went as she slept, was it creating new memories to dream of? Was that even possible? Seeming to sense his thoughts the girl stirred slightly and started to roll over.

Snape froze.

He did not wish to wake her while he was still sitting there. Soon regretting his decision to remain seated as Katelyn turned completely over throwing an arm across his chest, he was left with two choices – flee or lay back. Seeing the peaceful look on her face at having found something to cling to he couldn't bring himself to wake her. Remembering all the nights he longed for someone to just be there he knew he couldn't take that from her 'I will just have to wait till she moves again' he thought.

Looking at her he wondered why no one wanted to be friends with her, what could possibly be so bad about her? Why would someone try and harm or possibly kill this innocent girl? This thought plagued him every waking minute of the day.

Settling himself and untwisting his robes as he lay on top of the blankets he thought of calling a book over to read but before he could decide on a title he had drifted off to sleep. The exertion from previous days coupled with only few hours sleep got the better of him at last.

The first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the small window of Snapes bedroom, falling upon two very comfortable people sleeping soundly, finally without a care in the world. It would be many hours before either one would wake; Cinzey popped in to check on them around breakfast time staying only a few short moments to tidy the bathroom and a few stray items in the other rooms then leaving quietly, happy her master was at last getting some much needed rest.


	10. Chapter 10

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. Everything else belongs to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 10 – Comfort found

Waking slowly, Katelyn opened her eyes and she found she was not alone.

The tall pale man was there with her, she hadn't heard him come in and was surprised to find herself so close to him.

His firm arms encircled her completely. Face against his chest, she had nestled into his shoulder. Her left arm was draped across his slender waist, during the course of the night had managed somehow to get tangled inside his jacket and her palm rested on his skin. Holding very still as not to wake him she closed her eyes again to let the warm comfortable feeling wash over her.

Daring to take a quick look at him she took in his features and let her mind wander. This man was obviously taking care of her; right now he looked at ease with his thick dark hair falling across his face. He was still dressed in the dark clothes she had seen him in the day before and she easily guessed that he had not intended to fall asleep there at all.

Their position was extremely comfortable, the two of them snuggled together, and though she knew he may not feel the same way about it when he woke up she had no desire to move at all. Knowing that being this close to a man, especially one she doesn't know, should probably feel awkward but somehow it just didn't and she found herself hoping it wasn't just a dream. She felt him move slightly and realized he was beginning to wake; quickly she closed her eyes not wanting him to leave or be angry with her for letting them stay like this.

Waking up in his own bed was very soothing and much welcomed. The smooth material against his face was wonderful and he snuggled into the soft pillow, he was just about to move his arms when he realized something was different. Opening his eyes he jumped slightly as reality quickly settled in.

Katelyn Thomas.

In his arms, against his chest and he was quite sure he felt a small pale hand on his skin.

It took a few moments for Snapes memory to come back to him, he slowly remembered lying down to wait for the girl to move and let him up. Surprising even himself he was actually quite comfortable, and his normal reflexes had no intention of snapping to and throwing him out of the bed. They had found comfort in each other and even though he was annoyed he had let this happen he found he didn't regret it one bit. Before he could stop himself – he smiled. Katelyn briefly caught this through her eyelashes as she tilted her head to face him still feigning sleep. Snape took her movement to be discomfort and instinctively reached up and lightly brushed the palm of his hand against her forehead.

Smiling, she opened her eyes to look at him.

In a flash of light, she saw him scrambling frantically through the hall to his chambers with her unconscious body cradled to his body. Bursting through the doors he lifted her gently onto the bed. Blind panic had set in and he was frightened she would die, just watching she could feel his terror running through her as if it were her own. Looking at herself laying there she nearly screamed – she was covered in blood. Just as quickly as it had come, the vision was gone.

Snape sat up, lifting her with him and gently removing her hand from his hip. The warmth lingered there strangely for a few moments before turning to a cool patch that lingered and missed its former heat. He could still feel the outline of her fingers.

'I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you' she spoke softly waiting for his reaction which came slowly 'No, I was already awake' he said. Having seen his memories combine with hers, he began to wonder how that was possible and if it could be replicated. 'Miss Thomas, did you just see something – a memory of me bringing you in here?' he watched her carefully 'Yes… Mr… um I'm sorry but what should I call you I … I don't remember' she raised her eyebrows then lowered her eyes, embarrassed she was at a complete loss. In the memory his fear for her had been so powerful she felt terrible that she didn't even know the name of the man protecting her.

Following his emotions was foreign to Snape yet he found himself more and more willing to do so around this girl. Outside these rooms he was the same cold, cruel bastard he had always been, but here things were different somehow. She had disarmed him more than just physically without even knowing it, perhaps that's why he had gone along with it – because she wasn't trying to force or coerce him, but just simply letting him be. Knowing it couldn't possibly last, he would make her hate him in the end just like everyone else.

He soon realized she was waiting for him to answer her, her head still in her hands. 'What should she call you' a voice yelled in his head 'Death Eater, Murderer, Traitor, Bastard' he knew these were all true and more than well deserved. Snape did not want to give Katelyn a false picture of him but at the same time wanted to be honest without frightening her further.

Forgetting himself once again he very tentatively reached out and used his finger to lift her head to face him. A second flash of light and they were in his classroom, her fist smashing into his face, blood spraying everywhere. Her voice was screaming at him, hurling obscenities. The scene dissolved as he heard her gasp loudly and pull her face away from him. 'My god, did I… did that really happen?' she was obviously horrified.

'Yes Miss Thomas I assure you it did' he too was slightly taken aback and had to take a deep breath 'you need to know it wasn't your fault, you have been cursed' he gave her a meaningful look. She almost laughed until she realized he was serious 'Cursed? You mean like by a witch?' she couldn't believe what he was suggesting. He nodded 'yes exactly only I am almost positive it was a wizard rather than a witch' Katelyn paled, her thoughts were scrambled and she was worried that she hadn't yet heard the worst of it. 'What did I do to him?' he wasn't frightened of her that much she could see but why would he let her stay when she had done something so unforgivable. 'Why would anyone do this to me, did I do something wrong?' she said softly, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

That was exactly what Snape wanted to know, no evidence existed either way but he was beginning to think maybe she held more answers than she knew. 'No, I don't think so but someone has tried very hard to get to you. Doing something like this at Hogwarts was very daring indeed' she looked at him like he was speaking a language she had never heard before, he knew at some point he would have to explain the magical world to her but he was holding onto the hope that she may remember something soon. Each flash of his memories when blended with hers seemed to allow a small stream of her memories to resurface. The situation was finally looking positive for the first time in days.

'I do not know who did this' he paused willing himself to reconsider 'but I intend to find out, right now all that matters is that you are safe. How you address me however is up to you. Before the accident I was your potions professor' she gave him another strange look and he knew he was in for some serious conversations in the near future but decided to press on for now 'you may call me sir or professor if it suits you. If not my given name' he swallowed 'is Severus'.


	11. Chapter 11

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 11 – Hope

Katelyn smiled, at last she could say she knew the man sitting beside her. A man whose arms until just recently she had been completely wrapped up in.

Professor Severus Snape.

'May I tell you something Professor Snape' she said using his title as much out of respect as for his obvious discomfort at giving her such personal information. Katelyn hoped he would not be offended that she didn't use his newly offered name on this occasion but she feared angering him. Despite his previous kindness something told her this man was not one to be meddled with. He seemed unconcerned with her address but Katelyn supposed he could be rather good at hiding things 'Yes Miss Thomas, you may tell me anything you need to. We have a lot of work to do and I would like for us to be able to speak openly' he wasn't sure what she wanted to tell him or if he wanted to hear it however he wasn't going to search her thoughts to find the answers and risk any further damage – he would just have to do this the old fashioned way and wait for her to tell him what he needed to know.

'Sir, I have so many things to thank you for, for saving my life, attending to my injuries and looking after me. For now I just want to say … Severus is a wonderful name, thank you for sharing it with me'

Snape was stunned into complete silence. Surely she had to be mocking him? His expression hardened as he looked her up and down trying to surmise her intentions but finding that not only wasn't she making fun of him she was giving him the largest compliment he had ever received. 'Thanking me for sharing, this girl really has gone mad' his thoughts scattered and slowly regrouped themselves, still not coming up with a satisfactory answer.

Leaning forward slightly to make sure she was paying attention he spoke softly 'I would not like you to be misinformed Miss Thomas, there is much you do not know about me; I am not a good man by any stretch of the imagination' A dark look crossed his face when he remembered just how truly despicable he had been over the years. Shutting these thoughts away for the time being he softened his features as she was beginning to look very worried. 'I am not accustomed to having company, and spend my free time alone. I will attempt to help you as best as I can but you need to know I expect you to work at this problem with as much discipline as I know you always applied to your schoolwork' The prospect frightened Katelyn immensely as she did not want to disappoint him. Having no recollection of being at school at all she decided that all she could do was her best and she nodded for him to continue. 'Now my question to you is this, how should I address you?'

He watched her considering his question – would she realize why he asked this of her?

Staring stared past him for a moment she attempted to recall her friends and family but drew yet another complete blank other than a feeling of desperate sadness. They would know what she liked to be called 'so does he but he is just testing me' she thought becoming frustrated once again. There was no way around the fact she just didn't know – she would have to tell him so 'I am sorry Professor but I am afraid I don't know, I can't remember anything about my family' speaking the words seemed to break her resolve and tears filled her eyes; she turned from him wanting to hide her shame and willed herself not to cry. His suspicion confirmed he continued 'Come now, I'm sure in time we will reveal your lost memories but for now you can choose something that makes you comfortable' Avoiding meeting her eyes he removed a large handkerchief from his robes, it was pure white cloth with a tiny set of his initials embroidered in one corner, folding it into a smaller size he gently pressed it into her palm.

He had not intended to upset her but there were many questions that needed to be asked and he always understood that the vast majority would trigger this response. Despite the guilty feeling he got each time he purposely hurt her it was absolutely necessary to question her in this fashion to ascertain the extent of the damage and hopefully to notice when her own memories started to return. 'Thanks' she said in a tiny voice she could hardly believe belonged to her. Wiping away her tears she noticed just how soft the fabric was, it smelled sweet and fresh like sheets left to dry in the breeze. Playing with the edge of the dark quilt laying across her legs Katelyn thought hard about how her life would be if she couldn't ever remember how things were. It wasn't a life she thought she could live.

'You choose sir; I don't even know who I am anymore. I owe you my life, a debt I can never repay; the least I can do is let you deal with me on your own terms.' Sending her a sharp glance, making a mental note that perhaps this girl should have been sorted into Gryffindor with the heroics she was now attempting, he spoke firmly 'You don't owe me anything, it was my job to protect you at least in my own classroom. I may be a cold man but I would never let anyone die if it was within my power to save them'

Katelyn thought about the man seated next to her, his cold nature was obvious yet there was something so warm about him she couldn't understand how he could think so little of himself. Only a small few would protect somebody in distress that wasn't a loved one, let alone to try helping someone that had tried repeatedly to cause them harm. 'You know more about me than I do Sir, whatever you choose I will be comfortable with' A quick nod told her he was weighing his thoughts very seriously, was it really that hard to share this with her? Was there something terrible about her he didn't want to talk about?

'Merlin, what does she think I'm going to say?' he thought taking note of the peaky look that played upon her features. 'Miss Thomas, calm yourself and give me a moment to consider what you are asking me' Suddenly wanting nothing more than to curl up and go back to sleep he instead pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to pull himself together.


	12. Chapter 12

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 12 – Vision of the past

The sharp pain had the desired effect, clearing his thoughts of everything else momentarily.

'Damn you Albus, you should be here with her not me. You at least could be honest with her I … curse you Albus Dumbledore you bloody well knew I'd end up caring about the girl you meddling old coot!'

Ah there they were, the thoughts he knew were lying deep waiting for the right moment to pounce. How could he be so foolish as to not have seen it coming?

Despite his protests he knew that the old man would have found a way to make him do this no matter what, beating himself up about it would solve nothing. 'Silly old fool thinks of me like a son but for Merlin's sake I am not a child' There would be time to have words with the headmaster and hopefully more than his fair share of firewhisky later.

His answer to her identity had always been there, unchanged and close to his heart.

Did he dare tell her she was in fact his favorite student; he knew none of the teaching staff would believe he even had one or be capable of understanding. He had to admit that there was just something about her; she had something that sparked his curiosity. She was clever, intelligent and methodical down to the letter a fact that on its own earned her a respect of sorts.

It was his hope that she would further excel and take up an apprenticeship, hopefully on her way to becoming a potions mistress. Her love of potions to his knowledge was second only to his own here in the school and he had grown to like the girl despite his reputation for treating all students like human garbage.

The girl was very fond of books and the knowledge they had to impart meaning she spent almost all of her free time in the library and would occasionally come to him if there was something she needed to research but could not find or afford. Yet she did not simply regurgitate pages of text when presented with a problem, instead she put her mind to creating a solution that was both correct and well thought out.

Many of her projects were truly intriguing, though he would always deny her talent to any who asked about her, in his mind telling a student they were good at something was flirting with disaster and the first step towards having an ego bigger than any talent they may be blessed with.

Summoning strength he wasn't even sure he had, he wanted to tell himself that this, this whole situation, was just an act.

He had played a role many times in order to secure information the Dark Lord required, acting pleasant just long enough to get what he needed then turning into a viper often striking to kill.

Knowing this was not in fact an act at all and was to no ones benefit besides their own did nothing to sooth his frayed nerves. These feelings were both frightening and unexpected. He had spent over six years being cold and distant to the one person who seemed to understand him at all and he was very reluctant to change that at all.

'Outside these rooms lies a very different world, one where people expect me to be twisted and evil. In time I suspect you will see both sides of me, one here and one there but you will I hope eventually understand things can be both light and dark, good and evil together. We live in dangerous times, I will be retraining you until such time as you regain your memories or you have no need of me. As for your name, I do not know how your acquaintances referred to you but if you will allow me perhaps I can show you my recollection?

Giving her a nervous smile he offered her his hand even though all he wanted to do was run screaming from the room.

He sincerely hoped that by keeping this attempt short he could control their new found talent enough to avoid showing her anything that might upset her or worse yet make her hate him intensely as he was sure she had before the curse stole her mind. He couldn't fathom why he even cared what she thought of him, this was all getting too confusing and he longed to just be rid of her and not have to analyze this anymore.

'The quicker the girl gets her memory back the better, we can continue to ignore each other for the rest of the school year and then she will be gone – finally' he thought knowing it was a hopeless dream.

Katelyn stood undecided, unsure what Severus would want to show her and more than a little apprehensive as her previous glimpses into her past were very unpleasant. However she did know one thing for certain– she could trust this man with her life.

Not wanting to keep him waiting she nodded her acceptance, took his offered hand which twitched slightly as though he wanted to yank it back to his person, ignoring this she focused her attention on his eyes.

Bright light obscured their vision soon subsiding to show a view of the great hall, busy with preparations for the arrival of the new first year students and the beginning of a new year at Hogwarts.

There was much to see, his memories were vivid and full of life yet he was meticulously careful to merge each memory gently so she wouldn't feel unbalanced or frightened as he guided her mind slowly through his own.

Changing in fluid motion the first memory was his view as Katelyn was sorted into his house, then changing to the perfect shrinking potion brewed sans instructions in her second year. He showed her one memory for every year as a student at Hogwarts until this one – her seventh.

Katelyn had realized in this year that he was a Legelimens and a few quick tests had revealed to him that she was a natural Occlumens though had yet to master the skill. He had proceeded to scold her rather severely for being such a sticky beak.

Privately he had been extremely pleased she showed the inclination and interest in learning about this ability, he was entertaining the idea of making plans to teach her the basics himself and asking the headmaster to assist.

He had turned away from Katelyn wanting her to think he was furious but from where they now stood in his memory they were face to face.

Wide eyed she saw him here as no other ever did, he was smiling – a genuine smile that had real warmth and lit up his face surprisingly.

A few moments later and all the students were leaving the class room as the lesson was over; she had been dismissed and sent to the library with a note allowing her to access the restricted section. Everything she needed to know about she would find there and the rest would be practical application.

As he quickly tidied the room and in a flourish of robes sat back down at his desk she could hear him whisper to himself 'Well done Kate, well done'

Closing his eyes he let himself drift and guide Katelyn back to the present, feeling happy that not only did he now have a way to help her access her own memories but she had been pleased with everything she had seen.

'Severus'

Her voice pulled him from his thoughts.

'Severus please you need to do something quickly' her voice full of concern rapidly approaching hysteria.

He opened his eyes to find her staring at him, her face very pale 'What is it, is something wrong?' he asked unsure what had upset her so badly as to use his name twice after she had purposely avoided it.

'Your arm – it's bleeding'


	13. Chapter 13

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 13 – Scars

Looking down at the arm Katelyn was pointing to; he wondered vaguely if the girl had lost what was left of her mind but on closer inspection he couldn't deny she had seen something

'Damn it!' he cursed under his breath.

By this point in his miserable life Snape was well acquainted with the sight of blood. During his service to the Dark Lord he had been forced to witness the pain and suffering of his masters victims, often being forced to participate in these abominable acts. Not that he had escaped untouched; it was often the Dark Lords greatest pleasure to torture his followers for seemingly no reason at all.

Blood seeped through the thick sleeve of his robes staining the pristine white cuff a terrible scarlet, settling rapidly and soaking his arm elbow to wrist while pooling and transferring through to the leg of his trousers where his arm had been resting.

'How curious Miss Thomas, it would seem you are indeed correct'

Casting a few quick spells to staunch the bleeding long enough to clean the blood away from the girl's sight not wanting to frighten her further, he realized he needed to get to his private lab, and fast.

When this injury had first occurred he had thought nothing of it and healed the wound as he would any other – painful yet not out of the ordinary he had not considered this to be a magical injury at all, just a run of the mill bite.

Katelyn's teeth had ripped apart his skin, gouging out two deep valleys directly through the center of his dark mark and nearly severing the terrifying symbol into two separate halves. Thinking on it he was beginning to see that what should have been a simple bite had inadvertently become something more. That the wound was open again and bleeding profusely after the use of healing magic was very unusual indeed and could only mean that he was in for more surprises.

He hated surprises.

Handing Katelyn a glass of water he conjured with this wand he made an attempt to settle the obviously shaken girl.

'Relax' he spoke softly placing his hands on her shoulders

'but Severus your arm' her voice trembled and he began to wonder if there was another way that didn't require leaving Katelyn on her own, her condition was obviously fragile and he really didn't want to risk any further damage but his time was limited and his own injury required immediate attention. Asking his house elf to watch her was out of the question, the girl didn't remember anything about magic how would she react to such a creature?

'I will back in a few moments' he watched her shaking her head from side to side

'Yes Miss Thomas, I must go. I will return shortly and we can have dinner before trying your memories again' cutting across her arguments before she had a chance to voice them

'However, if something happens or it starts to get dark and I haven't returned call Cinzey, she will hear you no matter where she is and will come here to you. Get her to go to the headmaster and tell him I haven't yet returned and he will know what to do – you will be safe here I can assure you'

Knowing his attempt to soothe her was only making the situation worse, the terrified look on her face told him so, he removed his hands and moved to stand turning away from her

'Will you be ok Severus' her voice sounded tiny and frightened 'couldn't I come with you just in case… I have a bad feeling'

Turning back to look at her he shook his head 'I don't require any help Katelyn' his voice stumbling slightly still unfamiliar with using her first name 'I won't allow you to put yourself in a dangerous situation'

'Because of me' the words ran through his mind though he said nothing more.

Standing and making his way across the room before he had a chance to decide not to leave her he placed his palm on the sealed door and went through to the sitting room.

Taking rapid strides, his boots clicking noisily across the ancient stones, he wasted no time moving into the hallway, locking and warding the doors as he progressed. Finding his way through the dimly lit corridors of the dungeons was by now second nature to Severus, not needing to look about to navigate and being within his private quarters he didn't bother to lift his eyes any higher than the rapidly spreading stain on his robes. Consumed with thoughts of their injuries and the consequences therein he barely noticed his decent into the lower levels of the castle.

Had he been there under any other circumstances he would immediately have sensed the menacing presence hidden in the dark corners watching, waiting.

The very same moment Severus had set foot out the door Katelyn threw back the covers she had been twisting murderously between her fingers, gathered the green silk robe he had shrunk and left by the bed for her and proceeded to get out of bed.

Her mind was ablaze with images, terrifying horrible images and while she didn't know what they meant or if they were even her own she did understand that everything she was seeing meant Severus was in danger. He had no idea something was lurking in wait for him and she was not going to sit idly by and let anything happen to him.

Not stopping to question these odd visions or thoughts she put on a pair of grey slippers that were under the bed and headed for the door.


	14. Chapter 14

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 14

Nearly ripping his robes with his frenzied movements Severus stripped off his cloak, jacket, vest and shirt; wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. He reasoned he would require some time to rest and perhaps send word to the Albus about this strange occurrence before returning to his charge, if anyone else had the knowledge to figure this out it would be the headmaster.

The cold air hit his skin like ice water sending a shiver down his spine and giving him a stark reminder that he was in fact still human.

'Surely not' his thoughts drifted momentarily back to the inane amount of gossip that seemed to forever float about the school about his vampire like appearance and love of dark places.

Using his bloodied shirt as a makeshift tourniquet, he gathered the potions he would need, taking great care not to disturb any of the more volatile concoctions he kept in his private store far away from the sniveling noses of his dunderhead students. 'Merlin only knows what those imbeciles could do to themselves given even half an opportunity' he imagined students sprouting second and third heads or bursting abruptly into flames, a wicked grin touched briefly upon his dark features despite the growing pain radiating from his arm.

Clearing his mind of these amusing yet distracting thoughts Severus sat firmly on the cold hard work stool he had used countless times while brewing complicated potions into the early hours of the morning. Gently placing his damaged limb on the large stone table he began his work by casting cleaning and protective barriers to avoid any further infection. Once the wound was clear of dry blood it soon began bleeding profusely again, knowing he should have gone to Madam Pomfrey the moment he found the wound open he began to worry that perhaps he was in over his head. Giving the tourniquet an extra twist he knew his time would be limited but not wanting to add any further magic than strictly necessary there was no other way.

At first the wound resisted his magic refusing to weave and re-knit the damaged flesh 'The wound must be cursed in some way' he said chattering to himself which somehow helped him to concentrate despite his normal need for absolute silence. Deciphering the new damage from the old was going to prove difficult, the dark mark itself was created with very dark magic and would likely influence the properties of this new mutilation

'Perhaps when she bit me there was some sort of partial transference?'

Using a mix of potions for closing the skin and revealing the nature of the damage, he poured a few drops into the gaping hole 'Please don't be green, for the love of Merlin anything but green' he pleaded knowing the odds of this being dark irreparable magic damage were increasingly against him and rising by the moment. The potent solution dripped over the rendered flesh releasing a hissing puff of smoke giving him little choice but to reach out and grab the counters edge to steady him while doing his best to cope with the pain.

Leaning forward and resting his head on the cool stone surface of the table, he considered the information that had just been revealed to him. It was just as he knew it would be yet he had hoped that for once he was mistaken, unfortunately as usual he was spot on.

Green smoke.

'Perfect. Fucking perfect' he grimaced through his teeth

A few deep breaths and he was able to right himself at the bench, a rapid set of flicks from his wand and his skin appeared scarred but intact and as normal as he could expect it to be.

This new development would require a change of plans, for a moment he seriously considered just leaving Hogwarts reasoning it would be so much easier to go than face whatever horror and pain his error was likely to cause him.

It was then, when his pain had begun to subside and his thoughts were clearing, that he finally noticed the presence in the room with him.

'Such language, and from a head of house no less'

.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was as Katelyn had expected.

The door had no handle.

The only reason it looked like a door at all was the wooden frame, otherwise it could easily be just another section of wall.

'How on earth does he go through it then?' she wondered out loud, her thoughts wildly gaining speed with each passing second. She needed to hurry, every bone in her body told her to find Severus right now but her brain was stuck with the problem of the sealed door blocking her path.

'Who knows how many more doors are out there' her mind forming and dissolving plans in rapid succession.

'Damn it!' she screamed, all at once just wanting this whole situation to just disappear.

'If I am a bloody witch, why can't I get out?' agitation and fear rising high in her chest, the whooshing sounds of blood rushing around her body played in her ears.

Frustration was beginning to overtake rational thought and it took everything she had not to grab the nearest item and hurl it against the offending door.

Taking a deep breath she stopped pacing. Time was short and caution was just wasting it in huge blocks.

Placing both palms flat against the grainy wood of the door and letting her forehead rest against this infuriating obstacle with a small hollow thud Katelyn wondered just exactly how Severus used his magic to make things move. It was a foreign idea to her that such things could possibly exist yet she had no reason to doubt that in the case of this door something infinitely more complicated than a metal lock was holding it in place. Letting her hands search the length and width of the door for the spot she was sure was there somewhere, she was certain she had seen the professor do this a few times when he thought her to be asleep.

The sensation that flowed through her fingers could only be described as strange; they tingled with pins and needles when she held them over a small patch of wood at her eye level. Katelyn was sure this was the spot she had been searching for but yet the door held firm.

'I need to get through' she spoke out loud though she barely realized it.

All at once the tingling increased to burning, not painful but not entirely pleasant either. Feeling the door begin to move she released the breath she had been holding from the moment the strange feelings had begun.

Not stopping to survey her surroundings she took the sitting room at a run navigating around the couch and armchairs, while narrowly avoiding crashing into the low slung coffee table that had been invisible to her from her original position. Eventually she found the outer door and moving her hands in the same fashion she had used for the previous door proceeded to tell the door she wanted it to open. The tingling was definitely there but taking a closer look at the surface she saw the handle and the series of metal strips running across its width, while there was most certainly magic involved there was no hope she would be able to get through this way.

This door was locked with a key.

.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	15. Chapter 15

Clearly I own nothing except Miss Thomas. Everything else belongs to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 15

Breathing: His own was becoming erratic and painful.

The strangest part of what Severus Snape was hearing was it was completely impossible.

The source of the disturbance was coming from somewhere directly behind him.

This room was completely secure and equipped with anti-apparition, silencing spells and a rather complex charm he had created that kept Peeves the poltergeist from dropping in uninvited. Even Dumbledore himself could not enter here without permission, at least not without a great deal of time and difficulty.

That someone had breached his wards was just not possible yet he knew better than to ignore it and think his senses were playing tricks on him.

Raising his mental barriers as high as his physically drained body would allow, Severus grasped his wand tightly suddenly very thankful for its presence and its ability not to just channel his magic but also for the sense of calm it seemed to bring to him simply by holding the wood in his palm. Slowly he stopped his random internal chatter that inevitably occurred when he was truly nervous and threw a host of false memories to the front of his mind. Attaching a vicious sneer upon his lips he turned slowly on his heel, raising his wand at his would be attacker determined that these would not be his final moments on earth.

Turning gracefully on the spot his sense of shock very nearly caused him to topple over, what or rather who he found himself facing would officially rank him as having seen everything.

A fine mist hung in the air, and indistinguishable scent almost heavy enough to taste. In the sea of particles was the pallid face that haunted his nightmares even still – Tobias Snape.

'No!' he exclaimed 'this isn't real, it's a clever charm nothing more' Severus blinked heavily a number of times to convince himself he was awake and really viewing this abomination, this thing.

'Hello son' the menace grinned and looked terribly pleased with itself. Its shimmering form was quickly gaining solidity – a prospect Severus shuddered to think of.

'What do you want?' Severus snapped 'How dare you intrude upon my private quarters, this is unacceptable Tobias as you well know' a mask of rage, his face began to turn an ugly shade of crimson.

This was just what he did not need right now – a ghostly intruder.

'You are dead, though I can't say I am sorry about that, now you will leave before I summon the Bloody Baron to forcibly remove you!' Taking a deep breath, he fixed his penetrating glare upon the specter, letting all the hateful feelings he had flow like deadly lava through his wand and towards the figures head.

The ghostly man's sneer dropped a mere millimeter, obviously unmoved by the younger man's diatribe. 'I think not son' twisting his mouth as he used the word like poison upon his lips 'Not until you agree to a few issues' A rasping cough rattled through his silvery form making Severus wince at the terrible sound and the equally terrifying memories it elicited from his overloaded mind. Remembering his father's deathbed, he pulled himself to his full height. 'Questions, where does this dead fool get off thinking he can ask anything of me after all he did to mother….to me.'

'Come to think of it how did this damn muggle become a ghost anyway – how in Merlin's name did he find me and what the hell does he expect from me now that he has?' Irritating thoughts zoomed through his mind like buzzing mosquitoes just waiting for their chance to feast.

'As usual you assume far too much boy; you have no choices here just acceptance and action. By the way for man as paranoid as yourself you should be more careful when you pass through locked doors, someone with exceptional hearing and the ability to hide could easily overhear your precious passwords' the remarkably solid figure sneered and made a show of cleaning his fingernails as though the younger man was not even there.

'Talk about incompetence, what the hell is wrong with me lately?' he growled deeply under his breath

Increasing the pressure on wand and twisting his wrist slightly he readied himself to strike if needed.

This was sheer madness; Severus knew it but could not seem to contain it. He also knew the vision he experiencing was not truly his father at all, this was something else entirely and he was determined that whatever it was he was going to remove from his private lab immediately.

"A hallucination perhaps due to the blood transfer from the girl?' he mused to himself.

Severus desperately searched his mind for a rational, plausible and ultimately functional solution to his problem that seemed to be intensifying by the minute. In mere moments, he had compiled three separated plans of action; in his opinion a good spy always has a plan B and possibly a viable plan C for emergencies.

His brain finally put the pieces together.

Surely not? Could it really be that simple?

Training his wand slightly higher on the horrible form that was standing strangely silent as if unaware or unmoved by the danger posed in facing down a fully trained wizard whom he knew was both short tempered and in a dangerous frame of mind. Severus cast a shield upon his general person and sent a quick non-verbal spell zooming towards the imposing impression of Tobias Snape.

The figure caught his action much too late and its eyes went wide with fear.

A sharp pop sounded and all at once, the thing before him changed dramatically, its form twisting lithely where it stood. Despite the humor in the sight, Severus remained stony faced. His fathers dirty muggle clothes had become an old pale yellow sundress that hung limply just above a pair of hairy knees – one of his mothers favorite outfits complete with open toe sandals and a straw sun hat. With one simple flick of his well-practiced wrist, he vanquished the monstrosity. Plan B was safe for today.

A boggart. Simple enough in normal practice, however this particular beast seemed more powerful in form and intent. 'A boggart with strict instructions and a very strong compulsion to follow orders?' he thought skeptically.

Severus had never witnessed such a thing and he began to consider the idea that perhaps the boggart had indeed been influenced in some way. The longer he thought about it the higher his blood pressure rose until he could hear nothing but the violent sound of blood rushing past his ears. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down he made an extensive mental list of hexes he would use against the person who let this foul creature loose inside his quarters once he caught up with them.

Obviously, someone was having a good laugh at his expense. Admitting the creature had startled him he vowed that effective immediately he would make sure the sanctity of his private chambers would never be breached again, these thoughts helped him to manage his breathing and finally slow his racing heart. With a spray of colorful swearing and a few select curses thrown across the room, smashing a wall of potions ingredients with a satisfying explosion Severus collected his vest and coat, buttoning each with firm even motions of his nimble fingers.

New wards and charms would need placement right away, a measure he had avoided for many years in an effort to keep Dumbledore at arms length during his time away from his classroom. It would do the old man no good to snoop around in his private affairs and the extra magic around the rooms would most certainly draw his attention.

Adding the extra layers of protection did not take long; trying to conceal their existence was taking quite a bit longer. It really was futile to try to hide something from the headmaster but he could at least make sure it would take a measured amount of time before the changes would draw any attention. Hopefully the school would be busy enough to keep Dumbledore's attention elsewhere or at least long enough for him to piece together his responce when he was inevitably asked why his quarters were sealed up tighter than Gringotts.

He would have to check on Katelyn soon, he doubted the girl would be willing to hold still much longer. He had sensed the confined feeling she was experiencing and wondered just how he could be expected to contain her once she got truly bored with this place… with him.

It was not beyond him to intimidate the girl into submission and if it came to that, he would play the dark role but thinking on the options available to him he found to his surprise that he was rather opposed to the idea of hurting her any further.

Smoothing the small creases in his robes and straightening his cuffs he made a final sweep of the room stopping only to quickly repair the damaged glass jars and remove any remaining mess before turning to the door and proceeding through into the cool hallway beyond.


	16. Chapter 16

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 16

The hallways under the Great Lake were cool and barren offering neither comfort nor protection. Despite this, the war and all its problems, Hogwarts had always been as close as Severus felt he would ever get to a real home. Today however the place felt claustrophobic, even the solid walls themselves seemed to squeeze in on him.

His injured arm stung bringing him back to reality, escape plans aside he now had two major issues to deal with. Such a magical injury as this was exceptionally rare, never before had he heard of anything like it but then the Dark Mark was not your average piece of magic. Its creation was an abomination, a taboo brought to terrifying life. Its creator's demise had done little to lessen its magical signature; it had become quite pale but still a dominating feature.

When it came down to it, there was nothing at all holding him to the school, no obligations and no family. Surely no one would care enough to miss his presence if he just disappeared?

The old man would surely seek him out. Damnable old fool.

Hiding from such a wizard would be no small feat but was staying here because of Albus and his interference really what his wants and needs require? No. He realized with an unexpected feeling of loss. It was just not enough to hold him.

Letting annoyance crackle across his shoulders, burn down his back and settle underneath his skin where it lingered and gathered a plethora of dark and vengeful ideas he stalked silently along the cold grey stone corridors, turning here and there in a well practiced ballet that saw him reach his quarters in a surprisingly short space of time.

Such thoughts consumed his attention so completely he was stepping into his living space before he bothered to look around to check if there was anyone snooping around in the shadows.

The sudden idea that these ancient walls had eyes that saw all made him shudder, wrapping his clock tighter around himself he vowed to place extra wards here immediately regardless of the extra attention he knew it would bring. Making complex excuses for his paranoia he could handle; requiring a talented Seer to explain his case from beyond the grave really wasn't his style.

Two steps inside the doorway he realized his day was set to deteriorate even further. Katelyn Thomas

They stared at each other for a moment, her face softening with the overwhelming relief of his return only to tighten almost immediately knowing the price for her disobedience might well be devastating.

The terrified look on her face was just severe enough to break Severus away from the brewing storm he was ever so close to unleashing, instead he steadied his nerves all be it with great difficulty. This would not be the first or last time this girl would try to be the death of him, of that he was certain.

'How on earth… Miss Thomas what are you doing out here? Did I not instruct you to remain in bed?' He pointed sternly to the room had expected her to be in. Katelyn jumped slightly at his sharp tone but said nothing.

'What where you doing out here Miss Thomas, I gave you clear instructions to wait for me or call the house elf and yet you have completely disobeyed my request!'

Shifting slightly away from him she thought carefully about her next words lest they be her last 'I am sorry sir, I understood your instructions but I had the most terrible feeling something bad was about to happen and I… well I just had to try and warn you. I know it was wrong to disobey you but I couldn't stop myself.'

Hanging her head, she turned from him. With each word her voice got softer and her head dropped lower "I'm really sorry… Severus" She had known he would be disappointed in her but the compulsion had been almost unbearable.

Her memories were still broken and trying to make sense of them was akin to looking though a kaleidoscope, hundreds of tiny pieces each more beautiful than the next and all connected in some unique way Katelyn could never hope to understand.

She was not certain how she had acted with Severus previously but there seemed to be a sense of knowing between them and it was just not something she could ignore. He was the only thing she knew and the closest thing she had to family, to belonging somewhere – anywhere.

Snape glared at her, too angry to risk speaking again he simply motioned for her to follow and strode briskly away up the hall pausing only to open the bedroom door and allow Katelyn to enter.

Realizing his intent to shut her inside the tiny room once more without so much as a word Katelyn decided to throw caution to the wind. 'Please believe me! Take my hand, let me show you! Taking a small step towards the furious wizard she prayed she could get him to at least consider what she was feeling. Turning to glare directly at her, Snape paused to consider her request but only for a fraction of a second.

'I think not Miss Thomas. Feelings or not, I will not tolerate such disrespect.' His sneer set hard into place and she knew that further argument was futile. 'I… apologize Sir, I know I have no right to request your help and you have no reason whatsoever to trust me. May I return to bed now?' 'I think it wise Miss Thomas, I require some space to… consider my options.'

His tight clipped tone told her all she needed to know, he was looking for way to get rid of her, whether literally or figuratively she wasn't sure yet but he was definitely hoping to have her off his hands sometime soon.

Several days later Katelyn knew he was definitely avoiding her.

His state of mind was completely impossible to ignore, the emotions were rolling off the man, bouncing from wall to wall practically smashing anything they collided with on the journey between their rooms.

Food had been appearing at regular intervals atop the desk near the bed but she hadn't as much as caught a single glimpse of the brooding man since he had escorted her briskly down his hall and magically slammed the door closed so rapidly she barely managed to get all her limbs across the threshold.

Wisely she had schooled her face into a frown, though his amateur dramatics were rather amusing in a scary sort of way, and set about settling back into the room for what ever time she had left. Really she couldn't blame him, he probably had a wonderful life she was interrupting.


	17. Chapter 17

Obviously I own nothing except Miss Thomas. The other themes and characters belong to the talented JK Rowling.

Chapter 17

Severus was simply furious.

Not only had the silly child disobeyed him but it was quite clear she was not the least bit remorseful about her flagrant disregard for her own safety. After everything he had done to save her life and this is how she repaid him?

Even now as he paced back and forward across the well worn carpet of his makeshift bedroom he knew she was just a few rooms away. Waiting. 'Cant she see I'm trying to protect her for Merlins sake!' Tired of feeling like a stranger in his own home he ceased pacing and chose his course of action. He would speak with her today and set her straight on a few of life lessons.

He strode briskly down the hallway, his footfalls afforded no warning as Katelyn sat on the bed reading, unaware of his presence. Opting not to storm into the room just yet he set about watching her from his concealed space. She seemed calm enough considering her predicament and keenly interested in the aged tome in her hands, her demeanor not at all anxious and he began to wonder if she had in fact heard him approaching and arranged herself in this manner just to spite him.

This idea however was quickly revised when he realized she was humming quietly, just loudly enough to be heard from his position across the room. The tune was unfamiliar to him but it had a lovely melody that seemed happy and comforting.

Looking at her features more closely he had to admit she was rather beautiful, how in the world she was so unpopular was completely beyond his understanding. She had none of the handicaps that had ruled his own miserable days at school. While he had been until recently unaware of her missing parents there was no talk of anything strange rumors among the students to his knowledge.

'How can there be no one that cares for this girl?' The thought seemed to linger reminding him further of his own tormented existence, vivid memories of raised voices, unbending irrational minds and broken bones pressed upon him vying for dominance. He would never wish that life on anyone, not even his worst enemy.

The invasion of his personal space was still raw still and stinging, these feelings that seemed to be rising to cloud his thoughts were uncomfortable and unwelcome. For too long his existence was solitary, disciplined and organized to the point of no return. This was his life now and until the rise of the next dark lord or his own demise he was bound to the cycle of bitterness and death. His capacity to love had died with Lily Evans, her light extinguished well before its time.

He was about to turn away and leave his rooms to see the Headmaster with every intention of demanding different arrangements be made for the girls care when suddenly Katelyn looked up and locked eyes with him. He silently cursed himself for again failing to extract himself from the situation quickly enough.

It was bad enough she was here invading his privacy but to have her think he was wrapped around her little finger just not do. His acerbic tongue tingled in anticipation of a good verbal thrashing when she did the most unexpected this yet. Lifting her face to look at him, she smiled.

It was completely inexplicable; someone was pleased to see him, happy to see him alive? This was not what he had expected at all.

All the pent up anger he was holding like a life raft drifted away and was replaced with a terrible anxiety. 'What if she wants to live here with me when it becomes clear to her that her family is gone? What does she want from me?'

Moving slowly yet forcefully into the room his pulled out a chair from the desk by the window and sat while Katelyn put a marker in the book she was reading, closed it gently and placed it on the wooden bed side table.

Throwing her legs over the side of the bed to allow her to face him she took note that his early surly expression had been replaced with what she took to be apprehension, perhaps curiosity, though she could not be certain which. 'What is this place Professor? These rooms must connect to something?' she gestured towards the walls.

Taking a deep breath Severus decided that perhaps the truth would be easiest. 'This is my bedroom as you have no doubt already surmised. It is just one part of my private quarters her at Hogwarts. Each Professor has his or her own rooms which are situated close by their classrooms' Snape shuddered as he recalled the destruction of his neat potions class room. The dark look that passed over his face was fleeting but not unnoticed much to his surprise.

How could she possibly see that! Dumbledore himself couldn't penetrate his mask and yet….

'Is there something wrong…..' she paused uncertain as to why she asked the question in the first place. 'I'm sorry – I know I shouldn't ask' she hung her head not wanting to see his disappointment. 'No Miss Thomas, you did nothing wrong in this instance, I was just recalling that my classroom was the scene of your accident' He paused to gauge her reaction to this. They both paled slightly at the notion of having to return and relive the moment. 'I was …. Katelyn I wish to apologise for my role in your injuries, had I been more awake of my students I would have noticed your distress much earlier' He didn't go into the guilt he also felt for being such a stubborn prat in the first place, placing his amusement above his usual vigilance.

Not giving Katelyn a chance to try and defend him as was always her way, he pushed on. 'But nevermind that now, it is past. We need to decide upon your future.'

'You have seen me using my wand to perform some basic jobs here, in time I hope you will consent to being taught how to use a wand of you own. While the barrier in your mind has blocked your memory of the years you have spent here at Hogwarts I believe you can be taught to use your magic, though the lesson will have to be modified slightly to ensure your safety naturally.' 'Ultimately you are witch so even if you choose to ignore your magic it will eventually find a way out – most often in rather undesirable ways. The choice however is entirely yours'

Nodding gently Katelyn considered this new information. It was obvious her magic was very much an active part of her yet she felt almost no connection to it at all, after her experience with the bedroom door she could also well believe that magic always finds a way. Seeing no other option but to accept she agreed.

'Yes Professor, I would like to learn about my magic but who would teach me? No one would want to babysit someone that is not their responsibility! Perhaps I could start with some books? The ones you have here are wonderful.' She picked up the book she had been reading from the bedside table and held it so Severus could read the title 'Hogwarts a History'.


End file.
